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1st April 2004 Archive

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  • Korean RIAA nobbles Samsung music phone

    'This MP3 will self-destruct after three days'

    The Korean equivalent of the RIAA has forced Samsung to downgrade the MP3 playback quality of a new media phone. Korea's Association of Phonogram Producers had wanted Samsung to release its MP3 Anycall flip phone with music playback disabled for all but DRM-encumbered music, reports the Korean Herald. A compromise was where the …

    Mobile 1 Apr 2004, 08:19

  • Google launches email, takes the Bill Gates defense

    Mucho storage, more ads

    Google will use its feted scalability skills to take on Yahoo! in the email business, according to the New York Times. The plan is to take on the tiered pay-for email services and offer more space for free. Much more, if early reports are true: up to 1GB. NY Times hack John Markoff cites an internal Google study which the …

    Financial News 1 Apr 2004, 08:22

  • Europe rebuffs US flight info data grab

    MEPs vote no

    The European Parliament has voted to stop the United States from collecting passenger data on EU citizens. The US Department of Homeland Security had sought access to the flight data, based on PNR (Passenger Name Records) but also including the passenger's email address, and a compromise was reached in January, although details …

    ID 1 Apr 2004, 08:25

  • Triple setback for music giants' global jihad

    Neither sticks nor carrots are working

    The music industry's war on file swapping has suffered major three setbacks in recent weeks, and today's rebuff by a Canadian federal court is only the latest tactical defeat. We're now seeing indications that not only are the legal threats not working, but neither are the carrots of "legitimate" music download services, which …

    Music and Media 1 Apr 2004, 08:29

  • Baltimore failures try something else

    Astonishing leap

    Baltimore, the failed e-security firm-turned cash shell, is to transform itself into a clean energy solutions supplier. Whatever that is. It has made lots of board changes to create "a world class energy team". Baltimore has £25m in the bank and, err, no experience in the energy sector. But it knows a good opportunity when it …

    Hardware 1 Apr 2004, 09:42

  • Europe backs US protest over China chip tax

    'Systemic interest'

    The European Commission is to back US government moves to stop China giving tax breaks to local chip makers. "We have a systemic interest in that it may be chips today but tomorrow [may] apply to other products where we do have an interest," an EC spokeswoman said, the International Herald Tribune reports. China this week said …

    Channel 1 Apr 2004, 09:46

  • Carphone Warehouse goes Swiss

    Plans 200 new stores

    The Carphone Warehouse is to acquire N Tel Com - a switchless reseller operating in Switzerland - for £13.3m. It will use the company as a springboard to enter other European markets, including Germany. Last year, N Tel generated revenues of around £18m and an operating profit of £2m from 44,000 customers. Carphone Warehouse …

    Mobile 1 Apr 2004, 09:52

  • BOFH: Taking the fight to the beancounters

    Episode 11 Inventorise this!

    BOFH 2004: Episode 11 "Didn't we just DO an inventory?" the PFY asks, looking through the pages of items which we're going to have to find and account for. "Yes, but that was an internal inventory - for the IT Department. This one's for the Beancounters." "And the difference is?" "Our internal inventory simply consists of us …

    BOFH 1 Apr 2004, 09:56

  • ATI posts strong Q2

    But don't expect Q3 to be better, it warns

    ATI's last night reported solid second quarter figures with big gains over the year-ago quarter and a small rise in income over the previous three-month. However, it warned investors not to expect sequential gains going forward. Q2 2004 sales totalled $463.3m, down just 1.4 per cent on Q1's $469.7m, but up 47.8 per cent on the …

    Channel 1 Apr 2004, 10:24

  • Jamaica gov cleans up MS act

    'Leading by example'

    Microsoft is close to signing a licensing deal with the Jamaican government, which should bring rampant piracy in the public sector under control. Up to 50 per cent of Microsoft software used by the Jamaican government is unlicensed, according to a "highly placed source" of the Jamaican Observer. Private sector softare piracy …

    IT Director 1 Apr 2004, 10:38

  • AMD to drop Athlon 64 taxonomy for Intel's

    Web sites rush to repeat Chinese site's April scoop

    AMD is do drop its Athlon 64 performance rating naming scheme and replace it with a remarkably Intel-like three-digit model number. That, at least, is what AMD presentation slides suggest. Marked 'confidential', the slides have nonetheless turned up on French website Hardware.fr, itself citing a picture-less report on Chinese …

    Channel 1 Apr 2004, 10:46

  • A robot in every home by 2010

    All hail the brave new world of cybernetic Phillipino maids

    Today is 1 April, which means two things: newspapers, websites and press releases are full of ridiculous stories designed to fool readers into believing that, for example, Samsung has invented a roboservant which can do the washing up, mow the lawn and clean the car; and newspapers, websites and press releases are full of …

    Rise of the Machines 1 Apr 2004, 11:32

  • Ofcom calls BT tariff changes 'a surprise'

    Oh no they're not, says BT, Oh yes they are, says Ofcom

    The UK's new communications regulator has only been going for three months or so, but already it's involved in a row with the UK's dominant telco. Yesterday - marking its first 100 days in office - Ofcom confirmed it had begun an "urgent" investigation into BT's decision to scrap its standard rate over concerns that the move is …

    Telecoms 1 Apr 2004, 11:34

  • Porn-surfing nurse escapes with sack and caution

    Will not be struck off professional register, High Court rules

    A paediatric nurse dismissed for viewing online hardcore pornography at work has escaped being struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) professional register. Steven Truscott was sacked from his job at the Middlesex Adolescent Unit after committing six offences of serious misconduct during March 2002. The subsequent …

    IT Director 1 Apr 2004, 11:51

  • Internet news guru Matt Drudge uncovers dating scandal

    April Fool Reg finds Drudge and Hitchens under covers

    **Exclusive** Matt Drudge later today will report that a man and woman dated, sources tell The Register. An intern on the fringe of the John Kerry campaign once dated Kerry's Finance Director Peter Maroney. When pushed by The Register, top sources within the Kerry machine confirmed the shocking news that the two staff members …

    Bootnotes 1 Apr 2004, 11:54

  • MusicNet to deliver music downloads to UK

    Opens British office

    Digital music distributor MusicNet has opened a UK office ahead of the anticipated debut of numerous download services here over the coming months. MusicNet's two key customers are AOL and Virgin, which last month announced its plan to offer an Apple iTunes Music Store-style download service with content delivered by MusicNet …

    Music and Media 1 Apr 2004, 12:04

  • Circuit City buys BestBuy music download supplier

    MusicNow acquired

    US retail chain Circuit City is to buy online music retailer MusicNow. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the two companies said they expect the acquisition to be completed by the end of this month. Circuit City said it will not have a material impact on its FY2005 results. MusicNow will continue to operate under that …

    Financial News 1 Apr 2004, 12:21

  • mmO2 recruits Danes for StarMap alliance

    Little guys huddle together

    Sonofon, Denmark's second biggest mobile operator, is joining Starmap, an alliance of Europe's smaller mobile telcos. Starmap used to be called the mmO2 Mobile Alliance, and consists of mm02 in the UK, Ireland and Germany, Amena of Spain, One in Austria, Pannon GSM of Hungary, Switzerland's Sunrise, Telenor Mobil Norway and …

    Mobile 1 Apr 2004, 12:31

  • Freeserve confirms Wanadoo makeover

    Wanadoo - or Gotadoo?

    Le Freeserve has at last confirmed that it is to change its name to Wanadoo. As reported by The Register yesterday, the French-owned ISP has decided to ditch the Freeserve name that's been with us since 1998. In a statement Wanadoo UK said it would inform its punters by email and letter telling them "the strengths of the …

    Telecoms 1 Apr 2004, 12:39

  • UK.biz largely indifferent to spam tsunami

    Black Death actually mild cold?

    Just one in ten UK organisations consider spam a major issue, and a full third report the spam tsunami is having little or no impact on their business. Accordingly, the use of anti-spam filtering technology still the exception rather than the rule. A survey out today suggests that media attention on the spam issue is out of …

    Security 1 Apr 2004, 13:07

  • US court skins Buffalo Spammer

    Mandatory two to seven years' jail for spam tsunamist

    A US man has been found guilty of sending over 825 million spam emails and faces a mandatory sentence of two to seven years' jail on 14 counts of forgery, identity theft, falsifying business records and criminal possession of a forgery device. Prosecutors claimed he was raking in between $60,000 and $70,000 prior to his arrest …

    Security 1 Apr 2004, 13:26

  • Western Digital to end HDD part code confusion

    Balls to fluid dynamics

    Hard disk manufacturer Western Digital today pledged that the confusion surrounding the supply of its ultra-quiet hard drives based on its new Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) technology should come to an end this month. Within that timeframe, system builders and resellers will be able to order FDB-based drives from WD's bulk …

    Channel 1 Apr 2004, 13:36

  • Getting technology contracts right

    Your guide to avoiding the pitfalls

    This article is essential reading for both buyers and suppliers of technology and discusses some key points for getting technology contracts right. Here, we focus on the supplier's perspective but, by definition, that also indicates important points for buyers. 1. Pre-Contract Issues (i) Do you need a contract? Whether you …

    Small Biz 1 Apr 2004, 13:56

  • UK probes ‘too good to be true’ Internet offers

    176 sites dredged up during trawl for Web bottom-feeders

    An international trawl for the bottom-feeders of the Internet has dredged up 176 UK websites making claims that are "too good to be true", the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) reports. While this will come as no surprise to battle-hardened scam-spotters such as El Reg, the OFT is to be applauded for its efforts to expose these …

    Financial News 1 Apr 2004, 14:27

  • Intel's Itanium rockets to 64-bit shipment lead

    Marketing miracle cures Sun and IBM

    Intel's can-do spirit paid off today as the company's Itanium processor officially beat out all rival processors in total shipments, according to the latest figures from IHoD (International House of Data). After more than a decade hawking the Itanic chip, Intel has managed to unseat IBM, Sun Microsystems and HP as the leading …

    Bootnotes 1 Apr 2004, 14:48

  • Security is our ‘biggest ever challenge’ – Gates

    Haven't we been here before?

    Bill Gates reiterated Microsoft's commitment to improving security yesterday in an email which charts the progress of the firm's two-year old Trustworthy Computing initiative. There are few headline-grabbing initiatives in Gates' 3,200 word missive - beyond a promise to host a series of security summits across the US later this …

    Security 1 Apr 2004, 15:03

  • Vodafone gets visit from the taxman

    Death and taxes...

    Vodafone looks be heading for a dispute with Customs & Excise over allegations concerning unpaid VAT. According to Reuters, Vodafone made use of a tax loophole regarding the manufacture of mobile phone cards which resulted in it paying less tax. Although not thought to be illegal, the Government is now cracking down on such …

    Mobile 1 Apr 2004, 16:26

  • More police needed to tackle e-crime

    LINX calls for extra Bobbies on the Net, rather than more legislation

    Improved enforcement of existing laws – rather than more regulations – should be a government priority in the fight against crime on the Net. The London Internet Exchange's (LINX) call for greater police resources in the fight against cybercrime comes as MPs prepare to hold an inquiry on whether Britain’s key computer crime law …

    Security 1 Apr 2004, 16:30

  • Netsky tops virus charts by a country mile

    Bagle, pah!

    The Netsky worm beat off a strong challenge from various Bagle virus variants to top the malware charts last month. Message filtering firm MessageLabs blocked more than four million Netsky-infected emails in March. Netsky-C (2 million plus interceptions over the last four weeks) and Netsky-B (1.2 million). The other entrants in …

    Malware 1 Apr 2004, 22:42

  • Bug hunters go open source

    Getting in touch with your vulnerabilities

    A project to catalogue and describe security vulnerabilities, derived from the ideals of the open source movement, opened to the public yesterday (31 March). The Open Source Vulnerability Database (OSVDB) aims to plug what it sees a gap in information security market. There are several vulnerability databases, but some are run …

    Security 1 Apr 2004, 22:48

  • Tech heavyweights explain how to destroy the Internet

    Cerf, Lessig, et al warn US legislators

    A group of tech celebs gathered on Capitol Hill this week to brief Congressional aides on how Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can, and probably will, make a complete mess of the Internet in about a year's time. At issue are likely revisions to the 1996 Telecommunications Act and FCC regulations, which, …

    Telecoms 1 Apr 2004, 23:10

  • Boffins isolate 'blogging gene'

    April Fool It's Emergent, It's Adaptive - It's GMT

    Comics have joked for ages that humans will eventually adapt to technology: growing nimbler thumbs for text messaging, or larger ears to compensate for poor signal reception. But in a remarkable breakthrough, scientists believe they have isolated the gene responsible for one specific kind of computer activity - and the race is …

    Bootnotes 1 Apr 2004, 23:40